Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike yesterday accused his Edo State counterpart, Godwin Obaseki, of betrayal, describing him as ungrateful.
Wike said former All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomole, had been vindicated.
He said he was sorry for ignoring Oshiomhole’s warnings about Obaseki, adding that everything the former APC chairman said about the character of the Edo State governor had come to pass.
Wike spoke during the inauguration of an expanded Community Secondary School project in Omuanwa, Ikwere Local Government Area.
Wike’s war of words with Obaseki began with Edo State Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu threatening to leave the PDP due to a crisis in the state chapter.
Obaseki and Shaibu defected to the PDP after the APC denied them second term tickets.
Wike urged the party to sanction Shaibu, describing his threat to leave the party as “a shame.” He added that the deputy governor was ranting.
“A deputy governor comes and threatens the whole party where we are governors…who is his father,” Wike had said.
Obaseki reacted by saying that the PDP does not belong to Wike and that “political bullies” were not accepted in Edo State.
Wike attacks governor
Firing back yesterday, Wike said: “If you ask anybody or check the DNA of Godwin Obaseki, what you will see in that DNA is serial betrayal and ungratefulness.
“Let me stand today to apologise to Adams Oshiomole, who had been vindicated by telling us that we would see the true colour, the insincerity and the ungratefulness of Governor Obaseki.
“Let me say you have been vindicated. You were right and we were wrong. I have never seen people so ungrateful in life and people who can betray everything.
“I will never betray anybody because what you will see in my DNA is sincerity, consistency and teamwork.”
Wike also blasted Obaseki for calling him a bully.
He said: “You came to beg a bully for you to have a ticket. A bully was your DG Campaign and a bully bullied you into Government House. What a shame.
“You came back with your wife to thank the bully saying that after God, the bully made it possible for you to be there.”
Wike said Obaseki’s utterances were beyond politics, adding that only politics would make people know the character of an individual.
On Obaseki’s claims that he threatened the PDP because of Ndudi Elumelu, Wike said he only stood by the party’s earlier agreement on who should emerge as the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
“PDP wrote to the National Assembly nominating the Minority Leader of the House. The Speaker by the connivance of some PDP people announced Ndudi Elumelu as the leader of PDP.
“That is sabotage – APC nominating Leader for us in the House. And I say no, we can’t accept this,” he said.
Wike said he had no business with Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State leaving the PDP.
“Satan has agents. Most of the people you see are agents of Satan. I am not in the class of Obaseki. We can’t be the same. I was the DG of his campaign.
“I went there for three days and stayed there without having my bath. We bought even the drinks we drank there. It was Lucky Igbinedon that fed us. I have never seen somebody like Obaseki in my life,” he said.
‘I have more stake in PDP than Obaseki’
Wike said he would never support the injustice and impunity that Obaseki planned for PDP.
“This is not the Benin artefacts where you are challenging the Oba, which you lost woefully. This is politics.
“Obaseki, I have more stake in PDP than you. In all the elections we had run, he made no contribution. If you ask him he would say he didn’t know.
“A party had done congresses, formed structures, you came and we told the party’s structure to support you and they did.
Credit: The Nation